Downer

After my house was built in 1978, the owner put in a line of white pines between the house and pasture to act as a windbreak. Because the property is on high ground, the west wind can sometimes be fierce.

 At one point, an ice storm must have damaged the pines because the tops are missing from quite a few. Nonetheless, the pines have done a pretty good job during the fourteen years we've lived here. Every so often, though, one of the pines dies. And it needs to come down. Here's what happened Saturday.

The dead pine was between two living ones. At some point, the damaged top had broken off and was hanging in the upper branches.

The first step was to determine which way the pine should fall and apply the chain saw. The first cut is in the intended falling direction. Another cut will be made on the pine's backside to fell it.

So far, so good . . . .

. . . and then the chainsaw got stuck in the tree.

A wedge was pounded in to open the crack to get the saw loose.

And then the back cut was finished. But the tree didn't fall.

It really should have come down.

That's a big cut.

Next step: Attach a chain to the tree.

And pull. 

The tree starts to lean. 

Will it fall on the tractor?

No! It jumped off the stump and is standing upright. Won't this tree ever go down? Another pull and it does. Notice how close it came to the tractor.

Finally, the stump stands alone. (It will be cut later.)

And the tree is cut up.

For this pine, the whole experience was a downer. Finally.

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